Can epilepsy kill you?

Death from epilepsy is rare. The leading cause of death among people with uncontrolled epilepsy, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, or SUDEP, kills 1 in 1,000 people who have the disorder.

How many people in the world have epilepsy?

The number of people with epilepsy, using prevalence numbers, ranges from 1.3 million to 2.8 million (or 5 to 8.4 for every 1,000 people). The estimate currently thought to be most accurate is 2.2 million people or 7.1 for every 1,000 people. However, higher numbers of people report that they have active epilepsy, 8.4 out of 1,000 people.

What is the risk of death from epilepsy?

But there is evidence that the risks are different for different groups of people. If you are an adult and have epilepsy, your risk is 1 in 1000. This means 1 person in 1000 will die, but 999 will not. If you are a child with epilepsy, your risk is 1 in 4500. This means that 1 child will die, but 4499 will not.

Is it possible to live a normal life with epilepsy?

It’s also possible to have one that is provoked by an illness or injury. But a diagnosis of epilepsy means having two or more unprovoked seizures. Epilepsy can be treated, and precautions can control seizures and minimize injuries. In fact, most people with epilepsy live long and normal lives, including these celebrities.

How many seizures does it take to diagnose epilepsy?

For an epilepsy diagnosis, at least two seizures must occur more than 24 hours apart. Believe it or not, for people who have active epilepsy, there’s a very high chance of experiencing at least two seizures with a 24-hour gap between occurrences.

What percentage of the population has epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a relatively common condition, affecting 0.5% to 1% of the population. In the United States, about 2.5 million people have epilepsy and about 9% of Americans will have at least one seizure in their lifetimes.

How long do people with epilepsy live?

These estimates were then compared with life expectancy in people of the same age and sex in the general population. Reduction in life expectancy can be up to 2 years for people with a diagnosis of idiopathic/cryptogenic epilepsy, and the reduction can be up to 10 years in people with symptomatic epilepsy.

How many deaths a year from epilepsy?

According to the Epilepsy Foundation , 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy at some point in their life. The authors of the paper report that each year in the United States, more than 2,750 people die from sudden unexpected death from epilepsy.

Who is a famous person with epilepsy?

Neil Young is a singer and songwriter who lives with epilepsy. He’s also had polio and a brain aneurysm, according to The New York Times.